Electromagnetic operator for light signals



April 22, 1941. O. s. FIELD 2,239,316

ELECTROMAGNETIC OPERATOR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS Original Filed July 25, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l F|ca.1.

INVENTO a 5, Za,

April 22, 1941. o. s. FIELD ELECTROMAGNETIC OPERATOR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS Original Filed July 23, 1930 FlGu.2. Q a

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 a i j 54 H as I as I ;4 F J I g3 LU I 52-90 52' so 45 ss i 55 67 e C ss- 61 April 22, 1941. o. s. FIELD ELECTROMAGNETIC OPERATOR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS Original Filed July 23, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.3.

0. S. FlELD Apri122, 1941,

ELECTROMAGNETIC OPERATOR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS Original Filed July 23, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 441% A ATTORNEY .atented Apr. 22, 1941 2,239,316

UNITED STATES PATENT Gi' FlCE ELECTROMAGNETIC OPERATOR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS Qscar S. Field, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester, N. Y.

Original application July 23, 1930, Serial No. 470,056. Divided and this application August 4, 1937, Serial No. 157,334

2 Claims. (Cl. 175-339) This invention relates in general to light sig- 55 of Fig. l, viewed in the direction of the nals, and has more particular reference to a light arrows. signal wherein a single light source, in coop- Referring now to the drawings, and first to Fig. eration with a movable screen carrying a plu- 1, there is here shown a signal pole I, on which rality of colored transparent members, operates 5 is carried a cap 2, adjustable horizontally thereto give a plurality of different signal indications. on and then fixable in adjusted position. The

This application is a division of my copending Cap 2 has a transverse slot 2 formed therein, with application Ser. No. 470,056, filed July 23, 1930, lugs 2 at the inner ends of the slot, to receive for Light signals for railroads; now Patent No. threaded bolts 3 and nuts 3 for draw n a 2,097,785, granted November 2, 1937. 10 h p rap 3 havin n inw r y projecting Among the objects of the present invention is p 41, against the "9 p 41 fitting into a to provide a light signal of th character in cluesreceiving socket 4 in post I, to thereby anchor tion which is simple in cgnstrugtjcn Cheap to the strap to the post, and adjustably connect the manufacture, readily accessible for inspection cap 2 to the anchored Strapand repair, and has a long useful 1ife 15 With this arrangement of parts", cap 2 can be readily adjusted angularly on post I, by tightening one of the nuts 3 and loosening the other, to thus turn the cap on the anchored strap,

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved means for inserting and fixing in place, a mechani m casin in the si nal m a g Carried by the cap 2 IS a signal casing SC,

casin g pivoted as at 4 to the cap 2, and having an ad- A further Object is to provide motor elejusting means comprising a threaded stud 5 and me t h ma e n avmg a per mm magnetic fi 1d whereby nut 6, for tilting the casing SC in a vertical plane to minimize the requirement for power sources at 4 the signal location, so that primary batteries can on its P be readily used and thereby obviate necessity for @medwlthm the Signed casmg 1 1S mecha power line or storage batteriea anism casing MC, having a depending bracket 1, A further object of the invention comprises fv'arrymg a pm a its lower end p engagemgnt providing a novel friction fly wheel, carried on m an *P 9 mg earned by h the shaft of the armature of the motor element, P i The P has two plus for preventing rebound when the motor moves 6 i lts sldes for coopera'mon. mth F latchgs to energized position. i pivoted at 13 to the mechanism casing, and biased A further obiect of the present invention is to by spmtgs m a counter'clockwlse dlrectlon as provide a novel and improved centering means Vlewed m whereby to snap the for brin in the motor element when deenereve-r the 13195 H th-ereby P the niecha'msm d L a, b t "1 u M} n casing MC in position in the signal casing SC on ghe med p051 Ion m a ace Q 39 the two horizontal pins H and the lower pin 8.

certain F- The latches l2 have offset lugs I5 for contacting Fu ther O J S, purposes and charactensmc with the upper face of bracket 1 to limit the rofeatures will appear as the description progresses, cation due to springs 14 when the mechanism reference being made to the accompanying drawcasing is removed f the Signal casing ings, Show g, s y y Way Of example, and in i0 Carried on the top of the signal casing SC, is a no manner in a limiting Sense, One form which sighting device including an apertured member the invention can assume. In the drawings: 15 and a mgmber g1 carrying cross hairs or t Fig. 1 is a side elevational View, With Parts like for defining a point in space, with the apershown in section, of a light Signal in accordance ture I6 and the cross hairs defining a line in with the present invention. is space parallel to the optical axis of the lens sys- 2 s a Sectional View, 011 11118 of tern in the light signal, whereby to permit readily viewed in the direction of the arrows. directing the focussed signal beam to any do- Fig, 3 is a half sectional, half elevational, view sired point. on line 3-3 of Fig- Viewed in the direction Carried on the front of the signal casing is an the arrows. adapter l8, having at its outer end a lens 19, Fi 4 is a SBCtiOnal View 011 line -4 of Fig. shown as a plane-convex lens of the condensing viewed in the direction of the arrows. type, for directing light beams passing there- Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, through in a substantially cylindrical beam. Viewed in the directicn of th arrows. Carried on the adaptor I8 is a sunshade or visor Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, on line 20, and carried by the signal casing is a background 2| like 22.

In combination with the lens is, is an auxiliary lens 23, carried in a bracket 24 fastened to the adaptor l8.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, the mechanism casing MC is here shown in section, and comprises a preferably transparent bowl 29, held by means of a strap 30 and thumb screws 3!, in position against the main portion 32 of the mechanism casing.

Carried in a socket in the casing portion 32, is a light unit LU, including a light source 33, shown as an incandescent bulb adjustably carried in a mounting 34 so as to position it at one of the conjugate foci of an elliptical reflector 35, the other conjugate focus of the reflector being at the point 35, immediately to the rear of a movable spectacle 3'! carrying a plurality of different colored glasses 38, as more readily seen in Fig. 4. The light unit LU can be readily slipped into place in the casing portion 32 and held therein by a bayonet joint or the like, as shown in the application of which this is a con tinuation. The mechanism casing is provided with a hand hole 39 for facilitating handling of the same.

In the front of the casing portion 32 is an aperture Ml for receiving a conical member 4i having longitudinal corrugations 412 covering its entire inner surface. These corrugations 42 have sharp edges, and smooth faces, whereby to cause light entering through the plano-convex lens 43, which is positioned over the outer larger opening of the cone member, to be reflected back and forth from one side of the cone to the other, if it strikes on the pointed edges of the corrugations, and if these edges are not so sharp as to substantially prevent any reflection, and to be reflected from one inner face to the other of the various corrugations if it strikes at such points. Furthermore, if the cone member ll were to be smooth on its inner surface, then the entire surface would act to reflect light entering from the outside, back and forth across the cone as the light travels inwardly, to prevent any light so entering, from leaving the casing, without first having reached the spectacle 38, so as to largely prevent any washing out or dimming of the color of the signal glass then in controlling position. Some small portion of this light, however, would emerge from the signal, due to surface reflection from the signal glass, as uncolored light and thus produce a washing out of the color of the signal aspect then in force. The corrugations, however, as employed in this signal largely prevent this undesirable effect by largely preventing the entering light from reaching the signal glass, and also from emerging at all from the signal except in a very dispersed condition.

It will be noted that the cone member M has its inner open end immediately adjacent the spectacle 3 whereby any light from outside that reaches the spectacle 3'! must either reach it directly and pass therethrough or else be reflected back and forth by the cone member until it is so diffused that it cannot pass out again in a ianner to give a phantom indication. Were there any flat reflecting faces anywhere adjacent the focal point 36, light from the outside might reach the same and be reflected out wardly again to give a false indication, this being particularly the case if such reflecting surface Were at the outer side of the spectacle. By

fastened in place by screws or the the above arrangement, little or no light iron. the outside can enter the casing and be reflected out again, without first passing through the spectacle 38, and due to the opening cover 43 being spaced a considerable distance from the focal poin 36 and to the fact that no other surface is adjacent this focal point, any such light as does reflect out of the casing before passing through the spectacle 38, reflects from points considerably spaced fro' the focal point 36, and hence does not fill the opening it! with the reflected light. Accordingly such light as thus reflects out can at most produce only bright spots at the opening or on the closure for the opening instead of covering the entire opening and thus tending to Wash out or gray the color of the indication then in force.

Carried by the casing portion 32, are two spaced side brackets SB, supported by studs 90. Between these support brackets are carried two boxlike field members 44 by means of through bolts 45, with spacers 48 between the substantially parallel sides 3'! of the field pieces, to permit tightening up the connection Without collapsing the field pieces.

Carried by means of a through bolt 48, and nuts E9, is a permanent magnetic field structture including four permanent magnets in the form of four bars 50, two at each side of the bolt 48. Each pair of magnets 52, is spaced by spacers 5!, with the magnetic bars and bolt 48 held together in a bundle by means of two spaced annular washers 52, passing around the same and fitting into slots 53 in the spacers 5| whereby to hold the entire permanent magnetic field structure of the motor element in proper position.

Carried on spindles 54, pivoted at 55 in knifeedge bearings, is an armature A, having an armature winding 56, on a core 51, with vanes 58 and 59 pinned to the core 57 by pins 66 and held rigidly in place by nuts 6 i. As can be readily seen in Fig. 2, the vanes 58 and 59 are positioned respectively below and above the aXis of the core 5'! whereby, when the winding 56 is energized to make the vanes respectively of positive and negative polarity, the spindle 54 will be rocked either clockwise or counter-clockwise by the attraction of the permanent magnetic field, the permanent magnetic bars 53 making one of the boxlike field members 4 5 positive and the other negative. By reversing the polarity on the winding 56, the polarity of the vanes 53 and 59 can be reversed and hence the direction of rotation reversed.

Carried by the vane 58 is the spectacle 31, con nected thereto by suitable means, such as rivets 62, whereby the spectacle can be moved to position any one of its three colored glasses 33 in front of the focal point 35, the center glass 38 being positioned at the focal point 38 when winding 5t is deenergized, and the outer glasses 38 being so positioned when the winding 56 is energized with one or the other polarity.

Carried by the vane 58, is a counter-weight 63, for balancing the weight of the spectacle 37.

For defining the energizing positions of the vanes 58 and 59, there are provided adjustable stop screws B l against which the vane 53 strikes when it reaches its energized position in either direction.

For accurately and positively returning the armature and its connected parts to neutral position, upon the deenergization of winding 55, there is provided a centering mechanism. Fastened to the vane 58, is a plate like arm 65, to the top of which is fastened a crown 65 and to this crown 66 are pivoted two arms 61 each of which has a longitudinal slot 68 in its lower end for receiving a pin 69 carried in the bifurcated end 10 of a centering weight I! which is pivoted at T2. Each centering weight normally rests on an adjustable stop screw i3, when the parts are in neutral position.

With the structure above described, on the armature A moving to an energized position, as for example, clockwise, as viewed in Fig. i, the left hand arm 61 is raised to thereby raise centering weight H, whereby, upon the armature being deenergized, the centering Weight moves the parts back to neutral position. At the same time the right hand arm 61 is permitted to move downwardly due to its slot 68, while the right hand centering weight H remains in its neutral position, resting on the screw stop 13.

Carried by one of the centering weights 'H, are movable contacts 14, which cooperate with fixed contacts I5 and 16 carried on an insulating bar 1! bolted, as by means 13, to the boxlike field members 44.

When the armature winding 56 is energized, and the vanes 58 and 59 are moved to energized position to cause vane 58 to strike against one of the stop screws 64, there is a tendency for the parts to rebound from the stop screws before finally coming to rest thereagainst. This tendency to rebound is very effectually prevented by means of a friction fly wheel FF, loosely carried on one of the spindles 55, with a spring 19 sleeved between the friction fly wheel and a collar 80 pinned to the spindle 54, whereby to bias the fly wheel inwardly to compress friction discs 8| positioned between the fly wheel and a shoulder 82 on the core 51.

With the arrangement of parts just described, when the armature is moved to energized position, the friction fiy wheel FF continues to rotate after the vanes have been brought to a stop, by rotating on the spindle 54, to thereby absorb the kinetic energy of the parts and prevent the rebound by attempting to carry the rotation beyond the position of the screw stop 54.

By employing condensing lenses to thereby utilize the light flux to the greatest advantage, it is possible to use a relatively low powered light source 33. By being enabled to use a low powered light source, and by also employing a permanent magnetic field structure for the motor element, the total amount of energy required to operate the light signal is cut down to such a small value that primary batteries can be depended on for operating the signal and thus obviate necessity for a power line or storage battery at outlying points where the signals are located. The only power required at the signal location is that required for energizing the armature A, and the low powered light source 33.

A satisfactory indication has been obtained, under bright daylight conditions, at distances of 3500 to 4500 feet, with a light source constituted by a three Watt, four volt, incandescent bulb. Thus it can be seen that the condensing lens optical system, together with a permanent magnetic field structure for the motor element, produces a combination which permits the use of primary energy sources for operation of outlying signals.

The above rather specific description of one form of the present invention, is given solely by way of illustration, and is not intended, in any manner whatsoever, in a limiting sense. Obviously, the invention can assume many different physical forms, and is susceptible of numerous modifications, and all such forms and modifications, as come within the appended claims, are intended to be covered by this application.

Having described my invention, I new claim:

1. In a light signal, a motor element including, spaced, boxlike, field pieces, a plurality of permanent magnetic bars clamped between the field pieces, spacers between the magnetic bars, and straps around the bars and held in place by slots in the spacers.

2. An electro-responsive device comprising, a field structure consisting of permanently magnetized bars having their like poles connected by magnetizable backstraps, a first and a second pair of pole pieces attached to said backstraps in such manner that the two pole pieces of each pair are of opposite polarity, the pole pieces of each pair being formed with pole faces which are located in substantially the same vertical plane, a

rotor including two armatures interconnected by a magnetizable core, each armature being separated from the pole pieces of an associated pair of pole pieces by substantially vertical air gaps.

OSCAR S. 

